Captain Germán Olano Moreno Air Base

Captain Germán Olano Moreno Air Base Base Aérea Capitán Germán Olano Moreno
IATA: PAL – ICAO: SKPQ
Summary
Airport type		Military: Air Force Base
Operator		Colombian Air Force
Location		Palanquero / Puerto Salgar, Colombia
Built		August 27, 1933
In use		1933 - Present
Commander		Brigadier General Guillermo León León
Occupants		Comando Aéreo de Combate No. 1
Elevation AMSL		173 m / 566 ft
Coordinates		05°29′01″N 074°39′26″W / 5.48361°N 74.65722°W / 5.48361; -74.65722
Website		www.cacom1.mil.co
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
18/36	3,044	9,987	Asphalt
Source: DAFIF[1][2]

Captain Germán Olano Moreno Air Base (Spanish: Base Aérea Capitán Germán Olano Moreno) (IATA: PAL, ICAO: SKPQ) is a Colombian military base assigned to the Colombian Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Colombiana or FAC) Combat Air Command No. 1 (Comando Aéreo de Combate No. 1 or CACOM 1). The base is located in Palanquero, near Puerto Salgar, in the Cundinamarca department of Colombia.^[3] It is named in honor of Captain Germán Olano Moreno.^[4]

Facilities

The air base resides at an elevation of 566 feet (173 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 18/36 with an asphalt surface measuring 9,987 by 164 feet (3,044 × 50 m).^[1]

History

Officially inaugurated August 27th, 1933 by the president of the republic Enrique Olaya Herrera, as the nacional airport of La Dorada.^[5]

In 1932, due to the conflict with Peru, the idea to create a base in a central strategic location was gaining hold. Back then the Hacienda Palanquero was already in use as an airport by the Colombian-German airline Scadta since 1919.^[6]

Accidents and incidents

• On 18 February 2009, Basler BT-67 FAC 1670 of the Fuerza Aérea Colombiana crashed near the base on a local training flight. All five crew were killed.^[7][8]

• On 15 May 2009, FAC 3031 Dassault Mirage 5 of the Colombian Air Force crashed above the 36 heading after a failed take-off. The pilot made the emergency procedures and ejected, leaving unharmed.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Airport information for SKPQ from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
2. ^ Airport information for PAL at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
3. ^ (Spanish) CACOM 1 - Puerto Salgar (Cundinamarca) - Comando Aéreo de Combate No.1
4. ^ (Spanish) Capitán Germán Olano Moreno
5. ^ Hitos en la historia de Palanquero
6. ^ Reseña Histórica
7. ^ "FAC1670 Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20090218-0. Retrieved 21 June 2010. 
8. ^ "Ocho heridos deja el estallido accidental de una granada en un avión policial en Colombia" (in Spanish). Ultima Hora. 18 February 2009. http://www.ultimahora.com/notas/197413-Ocho-heridos-deja-el-estallido-accidental-de-una-granada-en-un-avi%C3%B3n-policial-en-Colombia. Retrieved 22 June 2010.